How Often Should You Replace a Furnace Filter in Winter?

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It’s no secret that your furnace has to work hard in the winter months. When the nights get chilly, you want to have a quality furnace waiting to keep you and your family warm. Of course, that furnace needs to have a filter in place, but how often should you change it? This article will look at that important question.

While changing a furnace filter is something that you can do on your own, Burlington furnace repair should be left to the pros. When a fix is needed, get in touch with the Berico team to schedule an appointment.

 

The Role of Your Furnace Filter

The job of your furnace filter is a simple but important one. Its primary role is to trap dust, dirt, pet hair, and anything else floating in the air before it can enter the HVAC system. This keeps your home’s air cleaner and protects the internal components from damage over time. This is a great way to protect your furnace, but the filter is going to gradually clog up as it is used, which is why replacing it regularly is such an important part of home maintenance.

 

A Good General Rule

As a rule of thumb, you should be replacing the filter that serves your furnace once every one to three months. If you keep up with that cadence, you’ll never fall so far behind that the current filter is packed with dust and debris and doesn’t allow the system to get the airflow it needs to work properly.

Of course, one to three months is a relatively wide range, so how do you know whether you should change it on the sooner or later side? Here are some factors to consider –

  • If you have pets, hair and dander will build up quickly in the filter, so you’ll want to change it more frequently in that case.
  • If you or someone else in your home suffers from allergies, it’s a good idea to change your filter a little more often so you can keep the air as clean as possible and reduce the symptoms that are experienced.
  • Filter Type. When using a basic fiberglass filter, you should stay closer to the one-month interval. However, with a pleated or high-efficiency filter, you can go closer to three months without any trouble.
  • Home Occupancy. How many people live in your house? More people tend to create more dust and debris, so a busy home with many occupants should have the filter swapped out more regularly.

 

Stay Ahead of This Task

Given how easy it is to change a furnace filter, and how affordable replacement filters are to purchase, there really isn’t any reason to fall behind on this key maintenance point. In fact, Berico has made it even easier to stay on top of filter changes through our partnership with Filter Fetch. This convenient service delivers professional-grade filters directly to your doorstep, so you never have to make a special trip to the store or worry about buying the wrong size. You’ll receive automatic reminder emails when it’s time to change your filter based on your usage patterns, taking all the guesswork out of the process. Plus, you’ll have access to friendly toll-free support from filter experts who can help you select the right filter for your system and answer any questions you might have. (Learn more about our filter delivery service and use code C4Q2 for special pricing:  Filter delivery service.)  For any furnace repair or maintenance needs beyond swapping a filter, call Berico for help!